Concrete has been used for construction since ancient times and in recent years several different types of hardenable material, i.e. liquid material which harden into a solid material, which provide similar or superior properties to concrete, have been developed. Traditionally, in order to construct a concrete wall a metal grid is erected and a form is built for the concrete with a large number of wooden beams on both sides, the wooden beams connected to each other and otherwise reinforced so as not to buckle when the concrete is poured. Concrete is then poured between the erected wooden beams and left to harden. After the concrete hardens, the wooden beams are removed thereby exposing the concrete wall. The inside of the concrete wall is then typically insulated with thermal insulation material and a cinder block wall is erected over the thermal insulation. Additionally, a facade is built on the outer side of the concrete wall, generally secured to the concrete wall with plaster.
Unfortunately, the traditional method of concrete construction suffers from several disadvantages. Firstly, erecting the many wooden beams to produce a form for the concrete requires significant manual labor, which increases cost and complexity. Secondly, providing thermal insulation within the building creates thermal bridges at the ceiling/floor of each level. Although methods for thermally insulating the outer side of the concrete wall do exist, outdoor thermal insulation adds costs and complexity due to the unique challenges of outdoor construction. Additionally, the plaster securing the insulation to the outside of the concrete wall is porous and any water droplets which enter the plaster will expand when heated during the day, thereby causing an expansion of the plaster. Such an expansion will apply pressure to the facade, which can cause damage thereto. In the event that the facade is made of stone, the stones can fall off the building, which can cause damage and bodily harm. The same disadvantage applies for a facade directly secured to the concrete wall with plaster. A third disadvantage is that a stone facade secured with plaster is only weakly secured to the concrete wall, thereby risking that the stones can fall off.
Although many premade concrete forms have been developed to reduce the amount of wooden beam construction on site, the other disadvantages still remain. Additionally, although wooden beam construction is reduced, each concrete form type presents new challenges which increase cost and complexity.
It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to overcome at least part of the disadvantages of the prior art.